Category

Macro

Location

At home in Manchester

Gear

Nikon D500, Laowa 25mm 2.5-5x lens, light tent, Nisi NM180 focus rail, two Yongnuo speedlites, tripod

Description

This is a common wasp, which I found sadly deceased on my kitchen windowsill last year. I set it up to shoot it highly magnified with my Laowa 2.5-5x lens, inside a light tent to diffuse the two speedlite flashes outside. I also sprayed it with a fine mist spray to add the droplets on its head. At this magnification depth of field is tiny, so it took 112 frames to capture the insect back to front. I stacked these frames in Helicon Focus, but then had to fix a lot of stacking errors, caused by elements aligned in front of other elements. I find the image both fascinating and beautiful. Ultra macro can reveal a world hidden to the naked eye, showing amazing details such as the hexagonal arrangement of the insect's compound eyes. I also like the combination of the black and yellow of the wasp and the purple background I chose. f/2.8, 1/160s, ISO500, 25mm

Photographer

Tony North

Social Media

Instagram: tnorth67

Facebook: The Art of Macro

Website: www.artofmacro.com

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